Dad with Kidney Disease Had Nowhere to Turn Except for His Son. That’s When People Saw the Picture.

The “Success Kid” meme took the internet by storm in 2010, displaying the determined look of an 11-month-old Sammy Griner, who was grasping a handful of sand on a beach when the photo was first taken in 2007.

Roughly five years later, the photo would become the catalyst for a lifesaving operation desperately needed by the young boy’s father, Justin.

Laney Griner, the mother of the Jacksonville, Florida, native had no idea that the photo would go viral, let alone help save the life of her husband who needed a kidney transplant in 2015.

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Sammy’s father Justin originally became ill in 2006, leading him to eventually suffer kidney failure by 2009, as reported by NTD.

Justin’s illness caused him to need a kidney transplant, however, the medical expenses for such a procedure are enormous.